Winnipeg takes another look at public toilets
30.09.2008 13:00
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- Source: cbc.ca
 Architect Wins Bridgman and the Downtown Business Improvement Zone paid about $700 to have the portable toilets installed and maintained for three months. (CBC)A City of Winnipeg committee has instructed staff to take a closer look at the idea of installing public toilets in Winnipeg's downtown. The city's standing policy committee on downtown development unanimously passed a motion Monday morning that asks for a report on the matter. Coun. Russ Wyatt, who made the motion, said the city used to provide public toilets, and it's time to bring them back. "Washroom technology has changed, and the ability to provide for that in public spaces, places is available," he said. "It has been done in other cities, and I think there is definitely a need in certain parts of the downtown to provide that to ensure that we have a clean and attractive city." The city recently ordered the removal of portable toilets installed at the corner of Main Street and Higgins Avenue by architect Wins Bridgman and the Downtown Business Improvement Zone. The toilets, located next to Bridgman's newly renovated building, were provided in an attempt to provide a more dignified way for homeless people in the area to relieve themselves and help rid the area of the smell of urine, Bridgman said. However, the toilets' sponsors didn't have the proper permits in place, and the port-o-potties were not appropriate at that location, which has been branded the "gateway to downtown," Bridgman said city officials told him. Wyatt disagreed with the decision to remove the toilets. The city could team up with private companies to put toilets in strategic locations, he said Monday. City staff will report back on the issue in coming weeks. Winnipeg's last experience with public washrooms came to an end in the summer of 2006, when a small building in Memorial Park, across from the legislature, was torn down after three decades of controversy over its use by transients and drug users. RelatedInternal LinksWinnipeg orders removal of toilets installed for homelessConsumer HeadlinesDo-not-call list will boost direct mail, marketers sayStarting Tuesday, Canadians will be able to register their phone numbers on a national do-not-call list, but they may find telemarketing calls replaced by junk mail and spam.Food industry not trusted to police itself, poll suggests A majority of Canadians believe that allowing the food industry to police itself puts the public health at risk, according to a new poll. Radical change needed in privacy protection, Ont. watchdog says Profound changes in information and communications technologies require a new, radical approach to how we protect privacy, says Ontario Privacy Commissioner Ann Cavoukian, namely, the integration of privacy protection into new technologies right from inception.Investor-rights foundation launchedA Canadian investor-rights organization was launched Monday with a multimillion-dollar budget largely funded by fines imposed on rule breakers in the investment industry.Cadbury the latest global firm caught up in China milk scandalBritish chocolate maker Cadbury said Monday that tests have "cast doubt" on the safety of its Chinese-made products and ordered a recall, the latest foreign company affected by China's tainted milk scandal. Consumer Life FeaturesAUTOSBargain huntingCars worth a second lookISSUE WATCHTelecomThe non-debate over your wireless billsSAFETYRecalls and AdvisoriesVIDEOFood safetyAgriculture minister faces questions (2:17)BLOGFood BytesWeird but true: Kitchen experiments onlineCOMM-ODDITIESTrendsJigsaw enthusiasts piece together Guinness record bidPeople who read this also read …
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